In the new normal of hybrid workplaces, MSPs are now a familiar and essential part of most business operations—75 percent of small- and medium-size businesses (SMBs) already outsource part of their internal operations to an IT or managed service provider (MSP). And it’s easy to see why when you see the results. It’s estimated that managed services reduce IT costs by 25-45 percent and increase operational efficiency by 45-65 percent!
With service in such high demand, the service provider space is becoming crowded and competition is stiff. MSPs looking to gain an edge on their competition are focusing on starting or optimizing marketing programs that can help them generate and convert leads. Here are some easy tips for creating or optimizing your MSP marketing program to drive leads and land larger accounts.
1. It Starts with Digital Marketing
Your digital presence encompasses a wide variety of things, from your website to social and search results. Because most buyers spend a lot of time online, you want to meet them where they are with a strong digital presence that makes it easy for them to learn about your company and services.
- Contact Us: The first thing you should to do is make sure your company contact information is online. Even if you don’t currently have a website (more on that below!), you need to provide a way for people to find you and reach out to you online. For example, you can go on Google or Bing and claim your business profile page that can list your contact details, services and other information about your company.
- Paid Search: If you have the budget, you can increase your digital presence with paid search ads that will put your business at the top of search results. These things don’t take a lot of time or effort, but they can have a big impact. Best of all, there are many things MSPs can do for free—websites, social profiles, etc.—that don’t take a ton of marketing know-how.
2. Websites and Landing Pages are Essential
Ninety percent of B2B buyers research up to seven sites before they make a purchase decision, so the content of your website is critical to catching and keeping attention. Your website is basically your online storefront, and it’s important you have a presence there to showcase not only your company, but what you offer for solutions.
- Landing Pages: In addition to your main website pages, landing pages—single-purpose pages used mainly to collect leads—are an important component of your web presence. Landing pages are a great way to deliver value and targeted content to your prospects in order to get their contact information.
For instance, if you write an article about cybersecurity in hybrid workplaces, you can create a landing page that requires the user to enter their contact information to view the article. These pages turn your website into a lead generation machine and allow you to track prospects and learn their pain points so you can tailor your sales pitch to suit their needs.
3. Email Isn’t Dead
Email is still one of the cheapest and most effective ways to communicate with your prospective buyers and current customers. In fact, leads that go through a nurtured email program are 20 percent more likely to make a purchase.
- Add a CTA: One simple way to make your emails more effective is to always include a call to action (CTA). These give your readers something to do, like download a piece of content or request a call, and allow you to get more engagement (like clicks and replies) than a typical static email. They should be short, no more than a few words should be hyperlinked, and it should tell the reader exactly what to expect when they click the link. Something like ‘read more’ or ‘schedule a call’ or anything that’s going to get them to engage with your content and keep learning about your services.
4. Get Seen on Social Media
Social media is important because it helps reach your target audience in your area, and it helps potential customers understand and connect with your brand. When it comes to being seen, pictures and videos will always perform better than a plain text post.
- Video Content: Ninety-three percent of brands got a new customer because of a social media video in 2020. So, if you can add a video to a blog post, it’s going to perform better than just a regular post and increase the chance for conversion.
- Hashtags: Look at trending content and build your content around relevant hashtags like #cybersecurity. Including hashtags in posts will also increase your visibility and reach to help grow your audience which, in turn, will elevate your social profile in search results and newsfeeds.
5. Network at Industry Events
Industry events are a great way to grow your professional network with your peers and meet prospective buyers. But what’s the best way to follow up on new contacts after a successful event?
- Call Them: A phone call and email are the bare minimum. Remind them about your conversation and use it as an opener to speak to their pain points and your service capabilities.
- Networking Services: In addition to email and phone calls, there are services that allow businesses to send text messages to prospects, which is a more unique and personal way to reach out.
- Social Media Connections: Also, remember to reach out and connect on social media. Find their LinkedIn profile and send a quick message with your connection request, or search Slack for relevant industry channels and join conversations where your prospects are active.
6. Create Engaging Content
When it comes to converting leads, content is king. You should create content that speaks to your prospects at each stage of the buyer journey—Awareness, Evaluation, Decision—that targets your audience with the right message to grab attention and convert customers.
- Awareness: Buyers at the Awareness stage are searching for answers—they have a problem to solve and will give priority to sources that help frame their issue, contextualize it in terms of their job function, and provide possible solutions. Impactful content for this stage includes your website, blogs, social channels and videos.
- Evaluation: The next stage of the buying cycle is evaluation, where buyers have identified their finalists and will be doing a more in-depth review of your service offering. For this stage, case studies and other customer testimonials or reviews can give you an edge.
- Decision: When it comes to the Decision stage, peer reviews, testimonials and consultations will help sway your prospects, as they are looking for validation of their choice.
7. Tracking Results is Crucial
Analytics are key when trying to understand how your audience is responding to your marketing messaging. They can tell you what emails are converting the most leads, which content is driving phone calls, and which webpages get the most traffic. Once you’ve gathered all of your numbers, it’s time to analyze and revise your marketing approach based on results.
For instance, if you notice that web traffic on your security services page has been increasing over time that could indicate an increase in security concerns from potential customers. You can then create ads, email copy, social posts, a blog, video or more to speak specifically to your MSPs security capabilities for your target audience. Your marketing strategy and plan should be a living document that is constantly being revisited, revised and optimized based on data and customer behavior and feedback.
8. Need Help? Outsource!
Setting up a marketing program at your MSP can seem overwhelming, especially for teams that already have their plates full with current customers. If you don’t have time or resources to create a marketing plan of your own, outsourcing your program to a third-party marketing agency may be your best bet. There are many marketing agencies, some specializing in MSPs and IT services, that will help strategize and implement a marketing program for you. Agencies can tailor their services to your budget and goals, track results and help you optimize your program for better results.
9. Liongard Can Help Up Your Marketing Game
Learn how Liongard can become a powerful part of your solution set with automated discovery, Actionable Alerts and customizable reporting. Schedule a platform walk-through today.
This guest blog is courtesy of Liongard. Read more Liongard guest blogs here. Regularly contributed guest blogs are part of ChannelE2E’s sponsorship program.
